Garland County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Garland County: 1.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Apr 25, 2011Tornado$21.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Homes were destroyed in the Walnut Valley, Ozark Lithia, Ranch Estates, and Mountain Valley areas. Church buildings and the Teen Challenge building on Arkansas Highway 7 were badly damaged. Vehicles were piled up in the parking lot of the church. An 8-month old baby was killed in the Walnut Valley area. A Red Cross survey indicated approximately 25 houses and 21 mobile homes were destroyed, 22 houses and 5 mobile homes suffered severe damage, 18 houses and 4 mobile homes had minor damage, and 5 houses and 2 mobile homes were affected. A two-story house had its top floor removed. Several outbuildings and a well-constructed barn were destroyed. A portion of the tornado's track was…

2. Dec 25, 2012Winter Storm, Garland$12.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   There was a public report of 15 inches of snow at Jessieville. Cooperative observers measured 12 inches at Washita and 8 inches at Hot Springs National Park.

3. Jan 2, 2023Tornado$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado began just to the southwest of Jessieville, causing tree damage around an Arkansas Forestry Commission building. The tornado then quickly moved northeast into Jessieville, and caused damage to a few homes in town. Most notably, damage was noted to several buildings on the campus of Jessieville High School, and three out of four fixed light poles for the football field were bent over. The tornado continued to move northeast, doing damage to a pole barn just north of town, before finally dissipating.

4. Apr 25, 2011Tornado$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado affected areas around the Bear community, Brady Mountain Rd., the eastern end of Lake Ouachita, and Lake Ouachita State Park. A Red Cross survey indicated approximately 1 house destroyed, 4 houses and 3 mobile homes with major damage, 16 houses and 9 mobile homes with minor damage, and 3 houses and 1 mobile home affected. A large metal building that once housed a golf academy sustained severe damage, with the roof torn off and metal girders twisted. A camping trailer was blown into a field and destroyed. Several outbuildings were destroyed. Hundreds of trees were knocked down or snapped off. Numerous power lines were blown down. Considerable damage occurred at Lake…

5. May 1, 2011Flood$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Some of the campsites around Lake Catherine were closed due to flooding.

6. Apr 25, 2011Tornado$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado affected the area around Old Dallas Rd. and the Sunshine community. A Red Cross survey indicated 1 house and 8 mobile homes were destroyed, 4 houses and 4 mobile homes suffered major damage, and 19 houses and 9 mobile homes had minor damage. Numerous outbuildings were destroyed. A travel trailer was pushed onto a car. Hundreds of trees were blown down or snapped off, and numerous power lines were blown down.

7. Aug 5, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A microburst struck downtown Hot Springs, doing considerable damage. A hotel had a large hole, approximately 30 feet by 20 feet, punched in its facade. A bank had windows blown out. A skywalk between two buildings was badly damaged with a lot of material hanging out of the bottom (over the street) and windows blown out. A motorcyclist suffered minor injuries after he took shelter under the skywalk and was hit by flying debris. A used car dealership in a 65 year-old building had one wall caved in and numerous windows blown out. Most of the cars that were for sale were damaged. A nearby tire shop had all of its front windows blown out. A theater had damage to its marquee and a large…

8. Sep 13, 2008Tropical Storm, Garland$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A 49 mph wind gust was recorded at Hot Springs Memorial Field. Trees and power lines were down across the county. Approximately 72 trees were down on Ponce golf course. A utility pole and large tree were down on Prospect Avenue. Three major roads in Hot Springs were closed. A tree fell onto a car on Park Street. The driver of the car suffered minor injuries and was unable to get out of the car for several hours due to downed power lines. Trees were down on Arkansas Highway 7 north and south of Jessieville. Trees and power lines were down on Arkansas Highway 5 between Tyme Lane and Curtis Lane. Also, trees were down on Arkansas Highway 192. A pine tree fell onto a bath house in Hot Springs.

9. Dec 24, 2009Flood$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flash flooding, which developed on the evening of the 23rd, became widespread areal flooding on the morning on the 24th and continued into Christmas morning. A minor landslide occurred on West Mountain in Hot Springs. Part of Arkansas Highway 227 (Mountain Pine Rd.) had to be closed for awhile. Bridges that were washed out, damaged, or flooded including those on Deerpark Rd., Kelly Hollow at Wildcat Rd., Caddo Gap near Norman Dr., South Harris Rd., Holy Spirit Ln., Hughes Rd., Owl Creek Rd., Brady Mountain Rd., and Brady Mountain Cutoff. Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine rose rapidly out of their winter pools, approaching summertime lake levels. Docks broke loose in the Big Mazarn…

10. Aug 30, 2012Tropical Depression, Garland$1.3 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Although Isaac was a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, it had weakened to a tropical depression by the time it reached Arkansas. Isaac passed through western Arkansas on the evening of the 30th and during the day on the 31st. Positions from the National Hurricane Center and the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center: August 30th at 10 PM (CDT) 95 miles south-southwest of Little Rock, August 31st at 4 AM 95 miles west of Little Rock, August 31st at 10 AM 25 miles northeast of Fort Smith, and August 31st at 4 PM 40 miles east of Joplin, Missouri. Although Isaac had exited Arkansas by the end of the month, some effects, including bands of thunderstorms spiraling in toward its center,…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

115°F2 times, most recently Aug 1, 1986

All-time low

−11°FFeb 18, 1910

Warmest night

92°FAug 28, 1932

Coldest day

11°FDec 25, 1983

Wettest day

12.97 inMay 20, 1990

Snowiest day

20.6 inMar 16, 1892

Hottest year

1954mean 66.3°F

Coldest year

1989mean 59.1°F

Wettest year

197384.92 in

Driest year

191638.72 in

Station Hot Springs 1 Nne (USC00033466), 626 ft elevation, 1.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1887 to October 26, 2026; 94.9% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00033466.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.